“The connections you can make in Boston, as well as the opportunities in the surrounding areas here, are second to none in the media industry. Being at Curry, there are so many different ways to get your foot in the door early, at places like NESN, The Boston Globe and Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots and Revolution.”

In August, she will begin working toward a doctorate in military psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, while being a member of the Army Reserves.

"I didn't want to do the normal college thing. I always wanted more of a challenge," she said. "I've tried to set a good example for my younger siblings, tried to set the bar high for them."

For Hardy, joining the ROTC began as a logical path, a way to pay for college and be guaranteed a job after graduation.

But it became a passion, with the ultimate goal of helping ensure that those in the military would have access to counseling in the wake of traumatic wartime experiences. She plans to be a military psychologist for an army battalion after she receives her degree.

Hardy said that the increase in servicemembers with post-traumatic stress disorder has raised the demand for psychologists. In fact, she said, psychology is the only department in the military that has grown despite budget cuts.

"This war is so different from other wars. Having to look people in the eyes and shoot them... The military is having to compensate with providing different types of counseling," she said.

Psychology is a career path Hardy has wanted to pursue for years. As she puts it, "As the oldest of five, I've always sort of been a psychologist."